The compounds disclosed herein are related to the biological and chemical analogs of modafinil. Modafinil, C15H15NO2S, also known as 2-(benzhydrylsulfinyl)acetamide, or 2-[(diphenylmethyl) sulfinyl]acetamide, a synthetic acetamide derivative with wake-promoting activity, has been described in French Patent No. 78 05 510 and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,290 (“the '290 patent”). It has been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for use in the treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness associated with narcolepsy. Methods for preparing modafinil and several derivatives are described in the '290 patent. The levorotatory isomer of modafinil, along with additional modafinil derivatives are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,855, and are reported to be useful for treatment of hypersomnia, depression, Alzheimer's disease and to have activity towards the symptoms of dementia and loss of memory, especially in the elderly.
Modafinil has also been described as a useful agent in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,745); in the protection of cerebral tissue from ischemia (U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,576); in the treatment of urinary and fecal incontinence (U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,776); and in the treatment of sleep apneas and disorders of central origin (U.S. Pat. No. 5,612,379). In addition, modafinil may be used in the treatment of eating disorders, and to promote weight gain or stimulate appetite in humans or animals (U.S. Pat. No. 6,455,588), and in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (U.S. Pat. No. 6,346,548), and fatigue, especially fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis (U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,164). U.S. Pat. No. 4,066,686 describes various benzhydrylsulphinyl derivatives as being useful in therapy for treating disturbances of the central nervous system.
Several published patent applications describe derivative forms of modafinil and the use of modafinil derivatives in the treatment of various disorders. For example, PCT publication WO 99/25329 describes various substituted phenyl analogs of modafinil as being useful for treating drug-induced sleepiness, especially sleepiness associated with administration of morphine to cancer patients. U.S. Pat. No. 5,719,168 and PCT Publication No. 95/01171 describes modafinil derivatives that are useful for modifying feeding behavior. PCT Publication No. 02/10125 describes several modafinil derivatives of modafinil, along with various polymorphic forms of modafinil.
Additional publications describing modafinil derivatives include U.S. Pat. No. 6,492,396, and PCT Publ. No. WO 02/10125.
Terauchi, H, et al. described nicotinamide derivatives useful as ATP-ase inhibitors (Terauchi, H, et al, J. Med. Chem., 1997, 40, 313-321). In particular, several N-alkyl substituted 2-(Benzhydrylsulfinyl)nicotinamides are described.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,980,372 and 4,935,240 describe benzoylaminophenoxybutanoic acid derivatives. In particular, sulfide derivatives of modafinil containing a phenyl and substituted phenyl linker between the sulfide and carbonyl, and a substituted aryl in the terminal amide position, are disclosed.
Other modafinil derivatives have been disclosed wherein the terminal phenyl groups are constrained by a linking group. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,169, certain xanthenyl and thiaxanthenyl derivatives having a substituted aryl in the terminal amide position are reported.
Other xanthenyl and thiaxanthenyl derivatives are disclosed in Annis, I; Barany, G. Pept. Proc. Am. Pept. Symp. 15th (Meeting Date 1997) 343-344, 1999 (preparation of a xanthenyl derivative of Ellman's Reagent, useful as a reagent in peptide synthesis); Han, Y.; Barany, G. J. Org. Chem., 1997, 62, 3841-3848 (preparation of S-xanthenyl protected cysteine derivatives, useful as a reagent in peptide synthesis); and El-Sakka, I. A., et al. Arch. Pharm. (Weinheim), 1994, 327, 133-135 (thiaxanthenol derivatives of thioglycolic acid).
Thus, there is a need for novel classes of compounds that possess the beneficial properties similar to that of modafinil. It has been discovered that a class of compounds, referred to herein as substituted thioacetamides, are useful as agents for treating or preventing various diseases or disorders disclosed herein.